Mental trauma of Black Summer bushfires lingers for residents in the Bega Valley and surrounds

Veronica Abbott runs a weekly drop-in service for those needing to chat with a psychologist. (ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon)

It's been three years since the Black Summer bushfires, but for many the mental impact of the event is only just being realised by residents in the New South Wales South East. 

The physical recovery continues in the region, after nearly 1,000 homes were destroyed in the blaze that swept through the Bega Valley, Eurobodalla and Snowy Monaro shires.